FEEFHS 2026: Workshop Selection

Following are the workshops that have been chosen for the 2026 FEEFHS Conference. 

Choose to attend any of the workshops for one single fee. Two workshops are scheduled in the morning, two in the afternoon.

The regular conference classes offered this year are found here. 

Navigating JewishGen (by Janette Silverman) 

JewishGen is a massive resource for anyone embarking on Jewish research. It can be overwhelming. In this workshop, we will look at the component databases that make up JewishGen, explore research techniques and discuss how to use the results of the searches. In addition to finding information about Jews from all over the world, there are tools on JewishGen to help identify towns and immigrant records that can help inform general research and explain Jewish culture. 

Essential Skills for Reading Polish Records in the Russian Partition: A Hands-On Handwriting Workshop (by Marissa Gardner)

 This class focuses on reading Polish-language civil registration records created in the Russian Partition, including the long-form birth, marriage, and death entries used throughout the 19th century. Participants will learn to recognize the structure of metryki, interpret Polish genealogical vocabulary, and extract key details such as names, ages, relationships, occupations, and places. The session includes step-by-step instruction and guided practice with real examples from the Congress Kingdom of Poland and surrounding regions. Attendees will gain practical strategies for navigating spelling variations, grammatical endings, and narrative phrasing to confidently read Polish records from the Russian administrative system. 

Break Through “Brick Walls”: Hands-On (by Bill Tarkulich) 

While a later conference class describes why this approach is so productive, this session focuses on the tools and the “how-to” methods. It demonstrates how to access “hidden information”, oft-overlooked yet powerful web tools and organizing the information you have in a way that provides new insights. Using each attendee’s research data, a method and tool will be demonstrated. The resources will be accessed online and shared live with all participants. Every immigrant throws us curve balls, real examples and best-practices for dealing with them will provide the researcher with a way of thinking that moves beyond the obvious. 

Finding the Village of Origin (by Joanne M. Sher) 

It is virtually impossible to do research in Eastern Europe without first knowing the name of the village where your ancestors came from. A country name or even a general area is too broad. Having this village information will enhance your experience during the conference. This morning workshop will focus on helping you find the village of origin. Instruction will be given in the use of United States and Canadian record sources that may provide this information as well as methodologies to use when your search has not produced an answer. In the afternoon participants can spend time at the FamilySearch Library using the available records and subscription sites. One-on-one consultation times can be scheduled to provide research assistance. Note: This workshop ends at the point where identification of the name of the village of origin is found. Though highly possible, it is not guaranteed that the village name will be found. Additional research may be needed upon your return home.